Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-08-09


Work Of Correcting tn. BIunder- of
Stupid, Ignorant or Careless People In
All Part. Of the World.
! In the New York postuffice there is an
| employe Whose name is Stone. but who is
! generally known as the Blind Man lie
has answered 10 that title for thirty one
years, but his eyrSight Is as keen as a
falcons. Ii is partly because Of his keen
ness Of vision AMI partly because Of the
remarkable aptitude he has developed for
deciphering hieroglyphical directions on
letters that he has been given the title.
which, more correctly expressed. would
read, the Man Who Deciphers Blind Di-
rections.H
The work OF the Blind Man has now
! grown So large that half a dozen assist
ants are kept busy poring over directories
Of all the principal cities in this country
and Europe. Lists of firms, individuals
and streets are also looked through
| These have accumulated during third
Of a century, but the directories are
mostly old, as the government is too
penurious to provide new directories
upon re4uisition. The ''hlind depart
ment" received in one day fifty four reg
could do nothing with.
A BIG DAYS WORK.
The blind man And his assistants have
studied out 9, 500 blind directions in ordi-
nary letters in one day Those that prove
undecipherable are sent to the dead letter
Office at Washington. Most Of the puz-
zles come from abroad. but bankers and
brokers in New YORK and other large cities,
Assistallt Postmaster Gaylor says, are the
most frequent sinners. Hundreds of
letters come from, Brooklyn every day TO
New York that are Intended for Brooklyn
parties, but only New York has been
written undsffh names on the face Of
the envelopes. Bank people are some
times very careless writers, and their lst-
tiers go astray often because the direction
looks like something for which it is not
intended. Not long ago, a letter sent by
. country hank TO a city bank, and con
tanning xs0, 100, did not turn up. 1t was
directed ~. r. Perkins, Cashier, n Y"
II was sought in vain for many days,
until at last Mr.. Gaylor, in looking closely
at the writing of the cashier that directed
the missing letter, surmised that his
Cashier" might have been mistaken for
Catskiil, and sure enough upon writing
10 lue SdtsAnl pIoNtb " bt
the case, for the $50, 900 letter was living
in the pigeon hole OF that office awaiting
call
Another letter had such a clumsily
written Ionkers upon its face that il did
not reach that city, only fourteen miles
away, until it had been 10 Turkey and
back. Another instance Of careless writ
ing that made much amusement for an
interested English nobleman was on
letter intended for J. Smith, Des Moines,
Iowa The letters were run together 50
curiously that they We're supposed to read:
Delmnnico's, Town. Ii was sent to the
great restaurateur, and remained with
him till Delmonico sent it back with the
remark that j. Smith did not board with
him.
SOME FOREIGN LETTERS.
A favorite style Of directing with foreign
ers seems TO be Of this order:
Solomon, merchant tailor. clothes
cleaned. repaired and altered, l22 MaisOn
ave, Amerika." Another read 'Herrn
George Wolf, bought of James Kreink,
dealer in staple and fancy groceries, fruits,
vegetables, oysters in season, No. LOIS
West Seventeenth St, cor Randolph"
These are copied from biflheads, and give
everything except the most essential point
Of all, the name Of the place.
Very few know in how many ways
Pennsylvania can be spelled. Here are /,
few specimens: Pennavainei, Pencilyania,
Pen 5. Nena, Pennsylvania, Pcnselmein,
Bersievania, Pennalseyena, PanDSyliya-
inia. Pennsilvaia, Renselwanna.
Here are few occasional spellings: Biz |
joisi for Ocean Beach, y. J.; Minasetta |
for Minnesota, Paceyck for Passaic, New |
Jaarse New Cert and New GerCy for |
New Jersey, Oio and Ohio for Ohio, Sira- |
kus for Syracuse.
An envelope has this: 'T shall ask you !
to Please send lack the letters l received |
when nod at home and which don't got'
Another writes: Il can too little English |
for tell you what l mean. Have / sent |
you letter on Swiss packet to Mr.. - by !
the factory Of the L. S. in Jarsey City. |
He will my mouthpiece be with YOU
As examples Of deciphering take this:
Mrs Frank NJ
Stouder.
" Ras hell
The blind man translates it into Mrs.
Frank NJ. Stouder, New Rochelle"
And this:
vestra-
Which was sent TO Hayerstraw.
Here is a regular jawbreaker of a name
and decidedly mixed directions:
kriez Hollyak,
Cam bizef,
Fraouth river.
Ncwije koutie,
America.
In cash case cited the full address found
upon the letter has been given. These Sc
lectious We're made from the accumuA-
tions of one full day and part of another.
with the exception of the two mentioned
by Mr.. Gaylor, which passed through ths
Office some time before Each day brings